Movie Star Love
by Olivia R. Emmott
Summary: AU. Haku is a big shot movie star and Chihiro is just another Undergraduate mega-fan. Chihiro applys for a 'Win A Date With Haku' contest! Of course she wins, and Haku finds himself falling in love as well. chapter 2 edited slightly
1. Prologue

**A.N. All characters belong to Hayao Miyazaki**

* * *

Movie Star Love

"Omigosh, Chihiro, Haku's new movie is out!"

"I know Becky, I know! I've asked my dad to help me get tickets this morning and he's ordered for the both of us online!" Chihiro's face was flushed with excitement.

"No bloody way! Omigosh, Chihiro you're a life-saver!" Chihiro's best friend Rebeka gushed. Both of them also were studying at the same University. She had wavy shouder length raven black hair which she parted to the left, and its ends naturally curled out slightly. She had recently added pink highlights, and she had on pink mascara and lip gloss to match.

For as long as they could remember, they were all-time fans of Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, one of the hottest new movie stars in America, as rated by one of the popular magazines. Chihiro and Rebeka never missed any of his shows, and always purchased the DVDs when they came out. All in all, they were huge fans.

So, when it was announced the next month that there was a "Win a Date with Haku' competition, Chihiro and Rebeka were dead keen to try out. Every girl who wanted to vie for a place had to fill up a form available for purchase at most convienient stores and enclose a recent photograph.

Immediately after class, they raced to the convienient store outside their campus and bought two forms before racing back to Chihiro's dorm to fill it up, the storekeeper laughing at their enthusiasm.

Racing upstairs, they plonked onto Chihiro's tatami. Her whole room was done up in Japanese style, as she loved Japanese culture. Getting out her stationery from her desk drawer and choosing a dark green pen, she and Rebeka began to fill up their forms.

* * *

Win A Date With Haku! Just fill up the form below and mail it to the Boiler Room Theatre and Address it to Kamaji by the end of the month. Also, please enclose a recent photograph of yourself. Good Luck!

Name: Chihiro Ogino

Date of Birth: 22 November 1990

Citizenship: American

Country: New York

Occupation: Student, Undergraduate

Contact no.: 94578612

Thank you for applying, we will get back to you shortly.

* * *

"There," she said. "I'm done. You?" Chihiro peeked at Rebeka's form. She had chosen a neon pink pen and was also just about done. "Okay," she said, "I'm done too. You have envelopes around here?" After rooting around in her desk, Chihiro produced two creamy white envelopes and they slid their entry forms in.

"Hey, Chihiro, can I borrow your photo album?"

"What for?" Chihiro asked, as she was looking for a decent photograph of herself.

"Surely you have at least one picture of me," Rebeka said. "I simply cannot remember where I put mine. And my room is in a state such that I simply cannot locate things."

Chihiro shook her head at her best friend. For the life of her, Rebeka simply could not keep her room tidy. She found a pretty nice picture of herself, wearing a lime green sweater and dark green tights on her first day at University. Smiling at the memory, she placed the picture in the envelope as well before passing Rebeka the photo album.

Soon their forms were ready to be delivered, and Rebeka ran downstairs to post it at the post office across the street. Lying down on her tatami, Chihiro soon dozed off, dreaming of winning a date with Haku.

* * *

A.N. Okay? Just a little prologue, the later chapters will definitely be longer :D


	2. Chapter 1

**A.N. All characters belong to Hayao Miyazaki**

* * *

"Hello, this is Boiler Room Studios(1). May I speak to Ms. Chihiro Ogino please."

"Speaking," Chihiro said, gripping her handphone tightly.

"Ah, Ms. Ogino! Congratulations on winning the competition! We will send you all the details and other necessary documents shortly."

"Oh thank you!" Chihiro was on cloud nine! She could not wait to tell Rebeka.

"May I have you address, please?"

"308 Riverside Drive."

"Righto, have a good day, miss!"

Chihiro hung up, and did a small victory dance. "YES! YES! YES! Oh my goodness! YES!"

"Chihiro have you gone bonkers?" Rebeka asked good naturedly as she stepped into the room. "Did Dave finally ask you out on a date?"

Chihiro sat down, her eyes gleaming. "No, but someone else did."

"Really? Who? I didn't know you were crushing on someone else," Rebeka said, thinking.

Chihiro giggled. "Oh Becky, you are so slow! Think carefully and guess again! I'll give you a hint: You're crushing on him too."

"You're betraying me for some guy I don't even know who?" Rebeka asked in mock anger. "I dunno, Jon? Err… OH! OH! I THINK I GOT IT! No bloody way! You won that competition!" Rebeka screamed.

"Yes, I took you long enough to realize," Chihiro squealed. "I still can't believe it myself, a man from Boiler Room called just now to tell me."

"Oh Chihiro I am so happy for you!" Rebeka said, hugging her. "We should throw a party! I'll give you the best celebratory party ever!" Rebeka was as excited as Chihiro, rattling off brilliant ideas for her party in honour of Chihiro. Chihiro grinned; Rebeka was as good at planning parties as she was messy. Meaning, if she wanted a party, she got a hell of a good party going.

"I'll ask everyone from the campus to join! The guys will all be jealous of Haku and the girls will all be jealous of you! Or maybe we'll just invite our closer friends from our class. What do you think? I'll even get DJs, those dance floors that will light up and everything…" Rebeka asked. Chihiro thought for a while. "How about an all girls' party? I haven't had one in ages. We could get just our clique and have a barbecue in our backyard, then a sleepover." Even though she was popular, Chihiro still preferred to hangout with Rebeka and her two other best friends.

"Okay! Anything for the princess, although I would have like to throw a mega party, complete with boys. But still, gotta listen to the host!" Rebeka chirped. Chihiro laughed at her friend, who was ever smiley and cheery. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let the preperations begin!" Chihiro said. "I'll call Trisha and Maryann over."

Five minutes later, there were four squealing, over-excited girls in Chihiro's dorm.

"I can't believe it, you lucky girl! He's not my type though, even though he is extremely cute," Trisha said, grinning like Cheshire cat. She was an African-American, with olive skin and riotous curls which she never tied up.

"I wish I could be going with you; bring be back an autographed photograph please?" Maryann pleaded. She was as big a fan as Chihiro and Rebeka were. She was a pale slip of a girl, with long blonde hair that fell to her waist. When she did tie it up, she plaited it with a white rubber band.

Chihiro was giddy with excitement and for the rest of the day, she discussed what to pack and which clothes to bring. The following week was spent shopping and going for manicures and pedicures. After all, she wanted to look perfect in front of her idol. She could hardly wait! She busied herself with preparing for the three-day trip to Tokyo, and before she knew it, the day of departure arrived.

Her family, three best friends and almost the whole school was there to see her off, and not to mention many various television crews and news stations, which all wanted to interview her. She felt rather sufforcated by the hordes of microphones pushed towards her, and finally, her mother intervened and told the paparazzi to back off, to whom Chihiro was immensely grateful.

"Thanks mom, I think I would have just died there from the lack of oxygen," Chihiro smiled as Yuko hugged her daughter goodbye. "That was nothing, I'll always be here for you."

"Yeah, so will I," Akio said, entering the conversation. "If that measly scum of a movie star tries anything funny, I'll beat him into a pulp! I'll pulverize him to pieces! I'll…"

"Right, right, okay dad," Chihiro smiled weakly as her father continued ranting until his face turned a shade of beetroot. Yuko led her husband away, throwing Chihiro an embarrassed smile as she left. "Have a good time, dear!"

After her parents left, her friends moved in to talk to her as well. "Chihiro, remember to get me my autographed photo!" Maryann pleaded. "Sure," Chihiro said laughing. "And yes, Trisha and Becky, I will bring you guys back a souvenir from Tokyo."

Next, many of her schoolmates came to wish her luck, before she headed off to board the plane, almost shaking with nervousness.

She found her seat, and gasped. She had no idea she was travelling business class! She hadn't really had the chance to ride planes before, let alone ride in business class. She settled down quickly, stowing her carry-on bag under her seat. She played with her fingers, still feeling a little surreal. This was almost too 

good to be true. She adjusted her dress, hoping that it would not get rumpled during the twelve hour trip. She decided to start reading the book she had brought along to kill time. After all, she had twelve hours.

Majority of the flight-time was spent reading, and she slept the remainder of the time as it was a night flight. When she woke up, she was greeted by an sir stewardess pushing a trolley of food. "Hi there, my name is Lin. Would you like to have your breakfast now?"

"Yes please," Chihiro said. "Eggs and ham or sushi?" Lin asked. Chihiro decided to eat the sushi, as she hardly had to opportunity to, since the number of Japanese food stalls in New York was scarce. Lin placed a tray of food in front of her before moving on to the next passenger, leaving Chihiro to her food. Picking up the pair of chopsticks and feeling immensely grateful to Rebeka for teaching her how to use them the year before, she began to eat.

Halfway through, a piece of sashimi slipped from her chopsticks into the saucer of soy sauce, spilling most of the salty dark sauce. "Oh no," Chihiro muttered, when she saw that some drops had made their way onto her white dress. She hurriedly tried to leave to go to the toilet to clean up, but…

"Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts as the plane is about to land. There will be minor turbulence and you are to be seated at all times. Thank you."

"Oh how conveinient," Chihiro grumbled exasperatedly. "I guess the only way to hide it is to put on a cardigan. Quickly extracting an orange cardigan from her bag, she hurriedly put it on, and sighed with relief when she saw that it covered the soy sauce markings. "I do hope it doesn't stain though," she thought. "It was a new dress, and expensive too."

When she finally alighted from the plane, she quickly set her watch according to Tokyo time, and hurried over to collect her luggage. As she exited the arrival hall, she saw yet another mob of excited newscasters and journalists, eager to hear what she had to say about winning a date with one of Japan's hottest teenage stars. Frantically trying to avoid them, she turned to the opposite direction, hoping that they had not noticed her. Turning, she saw a bald man in his late fifties and a bushy brown mustache holding a white card with her name on it. She hurried over to him and introduced herself.

"Hey there, I'm Chi-"

"No need to introduce yourself, I already know you. I'm Kamaji, the man who notified you of your win the other day," the man said, smiling at her kindly. Leaning down, he looked closely at her through his dark round spectacles, and commented, "Yes, you are quite a looker; Master Kohaku will be pleased."

Blushing, Chihiro said, "Do you think we can get going now? I don't want the press to realize I'm here…"

"Oh, I think it's too late, they're coming over now," Kamaji grinned. "It would be rude to run away, so just answer a few questions and you'll get used to it."

Sighing, Chihiro thanked her lucky stars she could understand and speak basic Japanese as she had taken a night class previously when she first started crushing on Haku. The whole mob was rushing, no, stampeding over, pushing and clamouring to be nearer to her. Questions were flung at her non-stop, and she felt like she was about to suffocate.

"Stop it."

Everyone turned, Chihiro included, to see Haku standing there, and the edge of the crowd. He looked stunning, in a white shirt and rather loose-fitting blue pants which billowed when he walked. His dark green, almost black hair was as immaculate as ever, nary a strand out of place. Everyone fell silent, and even the photographers' flashbulbs stopped flashing.

He turned and addressed Kamaji. "Didn't I ask you to bring her straight to the limo?" he asked, in a perfect American accent. "Sorry to have the press bother you," he said, now turning to Chihiro and smiling. "It's fine," Chihiro smiled. _Is he actually talking me?_ "Let's go, we're going to be late."

"Ahh, sorry… I forgot," Kamaji said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Here, I'll take this for you," he said, taking Chihiro's luggage for her. "Thanks," she replied quietly, thankful that Haku had 'rescued' her from the mob. Chihiro gawked at the well-polished midnight black limousine that seemed to stretch forever. She had only seen cars like this in the movies, and now she was going to ride in one! They made their way to the limousine, which was humming lightly in the bright daylight. People were all staring and whispering excitedly, and some fangirls were trying to get closer, but thankfully, Haku had a police barrier set up, which also protected them from the press.

Haku gallantly opened the door for her, and stepped in after her, Kamaji closing the door silently after them before walking over to the driver's seat and driving off. Chihiro gazed around her in awe. She was sitting on a beige leather sofa, and Haku was sitting across from her in a similar sofa. There was a mimi-fridge on her right, and a built-in phone on the wall. "Wow," she breathed. This was… incredible!

"How do you like it?"

She suddenly realised that Haku was talking to her and riverted her gaze to his face. He was smiling benignly at her, and she felt more at ease. "It's great… thanks for helping me out of the press just now!"

"No problem; I guess you have more or less gotten a taste of what it is like to be a star."

"Yeah, not as fun as I imagined, although this limousine is really neat."

"Yes. So… you're still studying?"

"Yes, in University, but I also work part-time at the pet shelter."

"That's great, I hardly have the time to study now, what with all my new movies coming up."

"You still study?" Chihiro was surprised.

"Of course, just that I can't go to public schools anymore, so I have a personal tutor at home."

"Cool! I've always wondered what it would be like to have a personal tutor. What is it like?"

"I still learn pretty much the same thing, except that now I have to study much harder to get straight As as everybody will be watching me. And it's pretty boring as well, without friends to play around with in class…" Haku said, thinking.

Chihiro suddenly felt relieved that she wasn't a movie star, and that she wasn't exactly in the limelight for everyone to criticize and judge.

"…but I'm not saying that being a movie star is bad. There's ups and downs in everything, just that you got to learn to take the whole package, take the rough with the smooth, and you'll come out from the experience a better and stronger person."

"Wow, what a speech," Chihiro commented after Haku finished. He laughed, displaying a set of perfect teeth.

"We're almost there, Master Kohaku," Kamaji's voice came from over the intercom. "Right," Haku replied into the telephone on the wall.

"Why does he call you Master Kohaku and not Master Haku?" Chihiro asked, out of curiosity.

Haku laughed again, and said, "You are straightforward, aren't you? Well, to him he feels that he should address me by my proper name. He's almost like a second father to me."

Chihiro lasped into silence after that, not knowing what to say. _What am I supposed to say in such situations?_ She thought of what she would normally say to Rebeka, but she wasn't Haku, and that had lessened much of the pressure.

Thankfully, Kamaji's voice came back over the intercom again, announcing that they had reached their destination. "Where are we going?" Chihiro asked Haku.

"Going for lunch, of course," Haku replied as he opened the door. "After you."

Chihiro stepped out into the bright sunlight, unaccustomed to its intensity as the limousine had tinted windows. Almost immediately after Haku and Chihiro stepped out from the limo, a circle of beefy bodyguards all dressed smartly in black suits came and made a circle around them, protecting them from yet another flock of reporters.

Haku smiled and offered Chihiro his arm, and she took it, blushing furiously, earning them a collective sigh from the 'audience'. They walked into the restaurant together, accompanied again by Kamaji who walked behind them, Chihiro awed again by its posh-ness. They were led into a quiet corner of the restaurant by the manager himself, and soon they were left alone in the room, with the exception of Kamaji and a bodyguard.

"You look cute when you're blushing," Haku commented as Chihiro sat down, blushing even harder.

"Am I supposed to say thanks?" Chihiro asked, smiling herself, earning herself a small chuckle from Haku.

A waitress came in, and asked if it was alright for the preordered food to come, and Haku nodded his head, waving a hand lightly to dismiss her. He then picked up the hot towel on his right and started to clean his hands. Chihiro quickly followed suit, in case it was custom for them to do so.

Then, the food arrived, and they tucked in slowly. Chihiro noticed Haku's eyes on her, and she looked up to match his emerald gaze. "Yes?"

"Nothing, just looking," he answered vaguely, smiling softly. "Just thinking."

Just as Chihiro was about to enquire what he was thinking about, a man from another table came up to them, shouting profanities. He reeked of alcohol, and if that wasn't proof enough, he was holding a bottle of whiskey in his right hand.

"SO!" the man shouted. Chihiro felt like saying so what, but didn't dare to, as he looked at her challengingly and menancingly. Instead, she shrunk lower into her chair.

"SO!" he repeated. "Thissssss issss the little girlyyy wittle Haku gotttt for a daaaaate!" he shouted, slurring his words almost incoherently. "And she's not eeeeeven PRREEEETTY!" he laughed absurdly. "Youuu haave noooooooo right to beee here, girlyyyy! You are noooooooooooothing but an uuuugly duuucklinggg! HAHA!" he jabbed a finger in front of her nose. Chihiro whimpered and tried to slide even lower in her chair, hearing those familiar, sinister words that had haunted her dreams for many years. Haku, on the other hand was furious. Kamaji and the bodyguard rushed forward, but he waved them away.

He walked over to the drunk, shoved him away from Chihiro, and said, "Stop harassing her! For your information, any sane person would see that she is indeed very pretty, just that a drunk like you can't tell the difference!"

By then, they had the attention of everyone in the restaurant, even most of the restaurant staff came out to watch, everyone freezing to watch them. Kamaji worried.

Haku was glaring at the man, daring him to retaliate. The man, on the other hand, looked smug. "So!" Chihiro thought that must be the man's favourite word that day. "You loooove your little girlyy!" Haku's arm twitched with the want to punch the guy. Thankfully, Kamaji intervened, and held Haku back. "It would not be good for your image if you make yourself out like this, Master Kohaku," Kamaji told his young charge softly.

The bodyguard secured the drunk and brought him out of the restaurant, lifting him up physically under his arm.

Haku collected himself, before addressing the public. "I'm so sorry for this commotion caused. All your meals will be charged to me today," earning himself a roar of approval from the people. Order was soon restored, and everything went back to normal, as if someone had just unfroze a television screen that was on pause. Haku turned to Chihiro, who was still looking very shocked, memories all rushing back. "I'm so sorry… are you alright? Chihiro…?"

* * *

_(flashback)_

_"You're nothing but an ugly little excuse for a girl! Useless, ugly thing! Good for nothing brat!"_

_A small girl of about four whimpered in the corner of the dark alley. "I'm sorry…"_

_"Sorry? What's the use of sorry now?! Now all because of you showing your face everywhere when I tell you to go straight to the warehouse you were recognized, and now your parents know you're alive. You good for nothing! You will regret this for the rest of your life! You mark my words, those stupid, friggin' Japanese arses will pay for this one day!"_

_The Chihiro of four years flinched and pressed herself to the grimy wall in one of the back alleys of New York city, crying silently, not wanting her kidnapper to hear her or she would be whipped again…_

_"You fool! You Japs have no right to be here! You are nothing but an ugly duckling!" The man said angrily, picking up a stick from the floor. Chihiro flinched again, seeing the horrible stick, knowing what would happen soon after. She closed her eyes tight as he raised the stick above his head, and prepared to lower it…_

_Just then, the wailing of police sirens were heard, and almost instantaneously police car headlights illuminated the dirty alley, cornering the kidnapper. Three policemen rushed forward and quickly apprehended the kidnapper, as a man and a small boy that looked about Chihiro's age stepped out of the police car as well. They rushed over to Chihiro._

_"Don't worry, everything is alright now, everything is going to be okay…"_

_A pair of arms encircled Chihiro as she realised the boy was hugging her, whispering soothing words into her ear. Chihiro held on to him tightly, tears still flowing freely, wetting the boy's shoulder…_

_(end flashback)_

* * *

"Chihiro?"

She looked up at Haku, seeing his emerald gaze bore into her chocolate ones with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess I rather spaced out there…"

"Would you like to go to your hotel to rest?" Haku asked, bending down to be of the same eye level as Chihiro, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, sure… okay."

Chihiro was silent for the ten minute journey to the hotel, oblivious to Haku's obvious concern for her.

_What is wrong with her?_ Haku thought, as he watched her. _The drunk couldn't have been so frightening, so… what had happened?_

When they reached the hotel, Haku escorted her to the hotel room himself, the circle of bodyguards still protecting them from the mob of reporters who had recently learnt of the 'lunch incident'. He reluctantly left Chihiro in her room, and made his way back to where Kamaji was waiting for him in the limousine.

"Where to, Master Kohaku?"

"Home," Haku answered, still worrying about Chihiro.

Kamaji looked back at Haku from the diver's seat and said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually liked her!"

Haku was taken by surprise, and scowled. "No I don't. And if anyone, I should know myself whether I like her or not. Sure, she's a nice girl, but I'm not sure yet. And come on, Kamaji, I've only known her for a day." _Although I feel as if I've known her from before_, he added silently in his head, sighing, unable to put his finger on it.

* * *

**A.N. (1) I know I put Boiler Room Theatre in the previous chapter, but I'm lazy to change it… hehe.**

**I apologize for the wait, because I had this full day choir workshop thing for the past few days, which sort of prevented me from posting. And I think the ending is sort of weird, but anyway, review please! :D**


	3. Chapter 2

**A.N. All characters belong to Hayao Miyazaki**

* * *

Chihiro plopped face down on her bed, in the exact position Haku left her in. She didn't move for the next two hours, thinking and pondering. Why did this have to happen NOW of all times? After all these years, after finally getting over the recurring dreams, they had to return. NOW.

She finally extracted her head from the pillow, pulling herself into a sitting position. She shuffled slowly to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. In short, she looked like a wreck. Her hair was tousled and her soft eyeliner was slightly smudged from her constantly pressing the heel of her hand to her eyes to clear the tears welling up inside. Sighing, she started cleaning herself up, brushing her hair out into silky tresses again and re-doing her makeup.

When she was done, she wondered what she would do for the rest of the time. A quick glance at the clock sitting on the bedside table told her that it was already twenty past four, about three hours since lunch. Looking around the suite, she spotted a pad of paper and a pen by the telephone on the coffee table in front of the television. Picking it up, she saw that underneath the hotel's fancy header, there was a note written in neat and precise handwriting.

* * *

Dear Chihiro,

I'm sorry about the earlier commotion, I hope it wouldn't affect the rest of your stay here; when you're feeling better, you can call me anytime at this number: 93748172.

Love,

Haku.

* * *

Chihiro smiled after reading it and picked up her cell phone, dialing the number quickly with a practiced hand. Holding the phone to her ear, she waited nervously, fiddling with her nails as she listened to the dial tone. At last, Haku picked up the phone.

"Hello,"

Chihiro suddenly felt nervous; this was her first time talking to Haku on the phone! Then she mentally cerated herself for acting so childishly – after all, she had talked to him face to face and even held his arm, for crying out loud! "Haku, it's me, Chihiro."

"Chihiro!" Haku's voice sounded relieved, and a rush of static came through the receiver as he sighed. "I was… worried. Are you better now?"

"Yes… thanks for you concern," Chihiro said, feeling touched.

"Well, you feel up to going somewhere now?"

"Yeah, are there any parks around here? I would like a walk in the park."

"Sure, there's one a five minutes drive away from your hotel. I'll be there in about ten minutes with Kamaji, get ready."

"Alright, see you then," Chihiro smiled, hanging up. She decided to change out of her dress, and quickly flipped open her green suitcase and extracted a pair of blue jeans and a simple, long, alabaster white shirt that had an elastic band on the hem, making the loose shirt hug the top her thighs. Taking a look in the floor-length mirror in the bathroom, she smiled, satisfied and picked up her bag, to go to wait in the main foyer.

Although she hadn't timed it, she walked into the main foyer just as a lime green Lamborghini pulled up outside. Kamaji's spidery frame emerged from the driver's seat and strolled casually into the hotel, bending down slightly to avoid hitting his head on the door frame. Chihiro hurried over to him, and he smiled as he recognized her slight frame. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Kamaji towered over her, as he led her to the car.

"Different car?" Chihiro questioned.

"Oh, to avoid being recognized by the press," Kamaji explained.

Chihiro laughed, as if a bright green car would not be recognized easily in the city.

He led her to the passenger's seat, and closed the door for her, waving goodbye as Haku stepped on the accelerator. He turned to Chihiro and smiled, "Hope you like picnics, I packed a dinner for later."

Chihiro smiled, "I love picnics! And by the way, how is Kamaji going to get back?"

Haku laughed. "In case you haven't noticed, this Lambo can only sit two people. He will get home by himself," he said in a teasing tone.

"Oh, of course!" Chihiro laughed. "And I don't see any of your infamous bodyguards around here."

"Well, I decided that I want a little privacy. I hardly have any excuse to dimiss them on normal occasions, but on the account that I'm on a date, Kamaji managed to convince my manager to lay off on the guards for the meantime," Haku said, briefly turning his head to look on the road as he took a corner at seventy kilometers an hour, before turning back at her and smiling. "Can you handle high speeds?"

"Can you handle the speed ticket?" Chihiro replied, grinning.

They reached the park in a matter of minutes, with Haku racing around at high speeds, much to Chihiro's exhilaration. He brought the car to a stop at the road by the park, and pressed a button, opening the boot. He exited and walked round to open Chihiro's door before going back to take out the picnic basket from the boot.

"Ready?" Haku asked, offering his arm again.

Chihiro took his arm and smiled warmly. "Let's go."

The park was relatively deserted, what with it being a weekday and during office hours and all. They found a nice spot by a peaceful lake and Haku set the basket down by a big tree. He spread the checkered red and white mat on the grass and lay down, propping himself up with his elbows. Chihiro followed suit and they both just relaxed for a minute, basking in the calm peacefulness and each other's company. Finally, Haku opened his eyes and looked at Chihiro. "Up for a game?"

"A game?" Chihiro echoed, opening an eye to look at Haku.

"What else do you think we can do for the next few hours before dinner?" Haku asked.

Chihiro let her head fall back and she looked up at the leafy branches of the tree, squinting when the occasional shaft of sunlight peeked through the rustling leaves, feeling more relaxed than she had felt in the last week. "Okay, what game do you want to play?"

Haku sat up, and picked up a smooth, polished black pebble. "Let's skip stones." He stood up and skimmed the pebble across the surface of the calm lake with practiced ease, creating four big circular ripples before it plopped below the surface of the water.

"Cool!" Chihiro exclaimed. "But I can't skip stones, the most I can do is two hops before it sinks. But still, I'll try…" she chose another black pebble, and tried to copy Haku's style. True enough to her word, it only hopped twice before disappearing under the surface of the water.

Haku watched her sigh in exasperation as she tried again, but having the pebble sink instantly. "You know," he said as he approached her, "You shouldn't throw it downwards like that, because it will only sink. You see, it's got to skim the surface, so you have to sort of throw it sideways, like this."

He demonstrated once again, and Chihiro tried again, still failing. She pouted, and said, "What is it I'm doing wrong again?" Haku laughed, and said, "Okay, I'll show you again." He chose another pebble and passed it to Chihiro. Then, he walked behind her, and pulled her back flush against his body, causing her to blush slightly. He took her right hand in his, and said, "Right, now I'll guide you through," his breath tickling her ear.

Chihiro felt heady from their close proximity, but tried to concentrate as Haku grasped her hand tighter, and slowly guided her though the movements, and this time she managed four skips before the pebble sunk.

"See, you can do it," Haku said, letting go of her. Chihiro suddenly felt slightly colder after Haku's warm 'embrace'. She smiled, and tried not to let it show. "Yeah, I think I'll try again by myself…" she picked up a nice flat pebble and aimed. She imagined Haku guiding her through again, and this time executed the throw perfectly, the pebble skimming the surface four times again. "Yes!" she squealed in delight as she hopped up and down. "I did it by myself! Yeah!" Chihiro continued dancing around in delight before she slipped on a big rock, and fell into the pond.

Haku laughed at Chihiro's comical expression as she sat in the water all the way up to her waist, water from her hair dripping into her eyes. His laughter quickly subsided though, when he felt a wave of water 

soak him. He looked up in surprise at Chihiro, who was now laughing at him. _Looks like the tables have turned, eh_? Haku thought to himself before grinning manically. _Well, I'll show her..._

Chihiro's laughter faltered a little as Haku began to approach her with a rather creepy grin on her face. Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed his ankles when he was close enough, and dragged him in to the water with her. Now Haku was also floundering in the water next to Chihiro, and when both of them looked at each other, they burst into laughter at the sight of each other.

Haku splashed Chihiro with water, and Chihiro splashed right back. Their little water fight carried on for quite a bit of time, before Chihiro called for a truce as Haku straddled her in the water.

"Okay, okay," she hiccoughed in between fits of laughter. "Okay, you win! I admit defeat!"

Haku laughed and stood up, offering her a hand, pulling her up. "Now that we're all sopping wet, let's have dinner."

Chihiro opened the basket, and unloaded ham sandwiches, two bottles of root beer and a rather large container of sushi and rice balls. "Wow, some feast we have here," she commented. Both of them ate side by side on the mat contentedly, and watched the sky turned pink and orange as the sun cast its last furtive rays over the earth before descending behind the mountains over the horizon.

The moon came out, taking the place of the sun and casting its silvery light over the land, creating eerie shadows. By then, their clothes had dried out, and Haku was lying on his back on the mat as Chihiro sat up, gazing at the lake. Haku watched Chihiro, bathed in the quicksilver moonlight, giving her an ethereal glow. She looked so pretty. Haku would have been pretty content just to sit and watch her the whole night, but she turned around and smiled at him, and said, "Don't you think we should head back now? We'll need a good night's sleep for tomorrow…"

Haku smiled and sat up, folding the picnic mat and stowing it in the empty picnic basket, save for a few uneaten sandwiches and their empty beverage bottles. "Right then, come on."

They strolled slowly through the park, Chihiro admiring its eerily beautiful nightscape, Haku looking at her. They drove back at a much slower speed than before, and Haku accompanied Chihiro up to her room. They lingered a while outside her door, before Chihiro finally said, "Thanks for the lovely time, I guess… I'll be seeing you tomorrow then." Haku smiled, "Yeah, goodnight then." He dropped a chaste kiss on her forehead, before leaving a blushing Chihiro in the hallway, to reflect on the day.

**A.N. Sorry for the late update... I've not really got a good excuse except that I forgot, sort of. Ah well... Anyway, review please :D**


	4. Chapter 3

**A.N. All characters belong to Hayao Miyazaki**

* * *

The next day dawned bright and sunny, and a sliver of shimmering sunlight found its way past the tiny gap in the curtains onto Chihiro's face. She groggily woke up, rubbing the sleep wearily from her eyes. She gazed around at her unfamiliar surroundings for a second before realization hit her. She was in Tokyo for that three day date with Haku!

She smiled, suddenly wide-awake, and hopped into the bathroom for a quick shower. After washing up, she pulled a rather large bath robe around her slim frame, and wrapped it tightly around her slightly damp body. She walked over to her dark green suitcase lying in the corner, and selected a simple powder blue shirt and a denim skirt that came up to mid-thigh. Stepping over to the vanity, she blew dry her hair and fastened it up in a high ponytail. She left the cosmetics alone; she never really used makeup. Not that any of her natural features needed help.

When she was done, she plopped back down onto the bed, wondering what to do next. She glanced around and spied her phone on the bedside table. She grabbed it, and upon flipping it open, she noticed that she had a new message. It was from Haku; Chihiro's heartbeat sped up in anticipation as she opened it.

"_Ready for your second day? Call me when you're ready."_

Chihiro could almost see the slight smile on his face that he always had when he was planning something.She pressed the green button on her cell and brought it up to her ear.

Haku lounged on the couch in his bedroom facing the television mounted on the glass wall over looking the busy city. Haku wasn't really paying attention to what was playing on the television, and he had been staring blankly at the same spot on the wall for the past seventeen minutes and forty-two seconds and counting. Well he technically wasn't doing anything, though. He was doing a lot of thinking. Mostly about a particular brunette.

He wondered. He always thougt that the "love at first sight" thing was ridiculous, but yet here, wasn't this almost the same thing?

_But, I feel as though I've met her before, so it isn't really at first sight._

_Yeah well, we do get feeling of déjà vu once in a while. It doesn't prove anything._

_No, it doesn't really, but – I really really know that I have met her before somewhere…_

Just then, Haku's phone began to vibrate noisily on the glass coffee table in front of the couch, and Haku picked it up just before it dropped off the edge of the table. He looked at the caller ID and he swore his heart sped up just a little. With much anticipation, he finally answered the call.

"Hello, Kohak–"

"Haku!" Chihiro squealed into the phone exuberantly. "Morning! Had a good night's sleep?"

Haku chuckled. "I think it would be fine for me to assume that you're a morning person."

"Heehee, so where're we going today?"

"I was thinking maybe we could discuss it over breakfast."

"Oh, okay, sure."

"I'll pick you up in about five then."

"Sounds good," Chihiro smiled.

Five minutes on the dot later, Chihiro saw a jet-black BMW glide to a halt in front of the lobby where she had been waiting. The tinted windows rolled down, revealing Haku in the driver's seat. "Get in," he beckoned with his head, motioning to the seat next to him with his left hand.

"Where's Kamaji today?" Chihiro asked as Haku pulled out.

"Errands to run," Haku said rather absent mindedly. "Where'd you like to go for breakfast?"

"Erm," Chihiro looked out at all the passing roadside stalls and cafés as they drove past. "How about you park, then we walk around can decide on one of these cafés here?"

"Sure," Haku parked by the roadside, and putting some change into the meter, smiled at Chihiro and offered his arm, which Chihiro accepted while trying to fight off a huge blush. She didn't really succeed.

Noticing the light dust of red gracing her nose bridge, Haku tried to lighten the mood a little, and began discussing neutral topics with her. Chihiro soon relaxed, and began to chat amiably with Haku.

Haku soon stopped outside a rather posh restaurant, to which Chihiro wrinkled her nose at. "How 'bout that one?" she asked as she pointed to another much smaller café two shops down. Haku nodded, and they sat at one of the tables set up outside in the open air by the sidewalk, and a slightly balding waiter gave them the menus, smiling genially, creases forming at the side of his eyes.

Chihiro smiled back at the man as she thanked him, liking the man immediately. How could she not like someone who looked so cheerful and happy? The pot-bellied man with a curling moustache rambled on about their set breakfasts, as Chihiro skimmed her eyes over the selections, finally deciding on having the breakfast set A.

Haku chose set B, and after taking their orders, the waiter left, humming along to the Italian song (1) playing over the radio.

"Quite unusual to find an Italian restaurant here," Haku commented. "Must be new."

"Yeah," Chihiro said, playing with her hands on the checkered table top.

"So… have you thought about where you want to go after this?" Haku asked.

"Isn't the guy supposed to be the one who decides on the date venue to surprise the girl?" Chihiro asked, grinning. "But I don't mind choosing –"

Haku smiled as Chihiro rambled on about how she wanted to see cherry blossoms but how she was disappointed that it wasn't the time of year. As he listened to the brunette chatter away nineteen to the dozen, Haku slowly began to realise that he felt what he hadn't felt in a long time; contented and relaxed. Having entered Hollywood as a teenage star at the age of fourteen, he had home schooled since then, by the wishes of his father before he passed on, thinking that he might not be able to focus on his studies amongst clamouring fellow schoolmates and fan girls. Which was why Haku hadn't really had a friend his own age for five years. Even though Kamaji was pretty much his only friend in the past, it was nice to have someone around his own age to talk to. It was just… different.

"Hell-o? Earth to Haku?" Chihiro said, waving her outstretched fingers in front of his face. "I was just saying how it would be nice if we could maybe go to catch a movie or something."

Haku blinked, brought out of his reverie. "Oh, sure," he replied, as the food arrived. Chihiro drizzled the maple syrup all over her scones, slathering a thick, sticky layer of sweet glucose over them before picking up on of the the dripping scones to her mouth, taking a bite, effectively coating her lips with the sticky syrup.

Haku laughed, and took a bite out of his toast. Chihiro smiled cheerily back at him, unable to generate a reply as her mouth was full of the sugary food. She took another bite, this time smearing more syrup on her lips as well as her cheek. Chihiro just licked the syrup away again, and Haku forced himself to look away. Who knew such a simple action would make his body react like this? He reasoned that it was the overworking of dormant hormones, before taking another bite of his toast.

However, when Chihiro got even more of the syrup on her face, Haku sighed, and leaned over across the table to wipe it off with his napkin. Chihiro blushed, furiously this time, and even the tips of her ears turned pink. Seeing her flush, Haku couldn't help but laugh at her again.

"Stop laughing… s'not funny…" Chihiro grumbled.

"Yeah, right, okay. Sorry." Haku said, oppressing another urge to laugh. He bit his tongue. (2)

They finished the rest of the breakfast in relative silence, Chihiro putting in extra effort to eat her scones properly.

"Seriously, though, I've never seen anyone eat scones with so syrup before. Hell, I've never even seen anyone use up half a bottle of syrup on _anything_ before." Haku said as they left the café and its cheery Italian music behind.

"Well, they don't know what they're missing," Chihiro said, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm sure…" Haku said in a rather unconvinced tone.

"Really it is! Sigh. Anyway, you just miss out on yet another one of those small pleasures in life," Chihiro said, as she tagged along behing Haku. "So… we heading for the cinema now?"

"Yeah," Haku replied as he opened the door for Chihiro before going round to the driver's side. "What movie do you want to watch? Horror?" he smirked.

"I can take horror better than you I bet," Chihiro replied defiantly.

"How about we go catch one of my movies," Haku asked jokingly.

"No can do," Chihiro replied just as mockingly. "'Cos I've already watched all of them! I bet you're just afraid to watch a horror flick."

And thus, they bought tickets to watch the newest horror movie, The Kidnapping (3).

All was fine and Chihiro was proving to live up to her word until the part where the ghost kidnapped a little girl in a dark alley. Haku noticed her tense up beside him, and felt worried. She looked just as scared as the girl herself. And this wasn't even the scary part; she had cruised through scarier scenes without so much as flinching.

Chihiro stiffened as horrid memories flooded back. Why was it that everytime she went out with Haku to someplace she would be reminded of the incident that happened so many years ago?

Haku decided he had to do something to get her back to normal. "Chihiro, look over there."

"Huh?" Chihiro turned to look at Haku, who was pointing to the far corner of the screen.

"There's something funny over there."

"Are you trying to scare me, Haku? Because that's seriously a sorry attempt," she said, giving a small nervous laugh.

"No, seriously. Lean over, look. Don't you see something?"

Frowning, curiosity got the best of Chihiro, and she leaned over to squint in the direction Haku was pointing in and…

Suddenly, she felt a pair soft lips upon her own. She widened her eyes in surprise, and saw that Haku was gently pressing his lips on hers. As he lifted his hand to the base of Chihiro's skull and started making small circles with his thumb, she began to relax.

Haku wanted to sigh with relief; she was finally relaxing. He decided to take advantage of the situation, and deepened the kiss, nipping her lip slightly, causing Chihiro to moan slightly. Haku slid his tongue into her mouth as she did so, and Chihiro responded immediately in turn.

Chihiro felt her worried dissolve around her as Haku deepened the kiss. Fisting her hands in his shirt subconsciously to bring him closer, Chihiro felt like she was in seventh heaven. Fireworks were going off in her head, and she was sure no other kiss had been this good. Perhaps it was better when the two people were in love. Were they…?

Gosh, she tasted wonderful. Haku couldn't really bring himself to break the kiss, but a particular appendage was already beginning to give him problems for the second time that day, and he reluctantly broke away from Chihiro, resting his forehead on hers.

"Still feel scared now?" he managed to whisper.

"No," Chihiro smiled. Haku had to try to divert his attention away from her reddened lips.

"Good," he mumbled, and they went back to watching the movie, this time with Haku's arm around Chihiro.

The movie ended without incident, and they strolled back to the car park slowly in the warm afternoon sun. Haku risked asking her the question that had been bursting to be answered, "Why were you so scared just now? You weren't even a tad frightened during the scarier parts."

Chihiro was silent for a while before answering quietly. "It brought back unwelcome memories," she replied curtly.

"Do… you want to talk about it?" Haku asked cautiously.

"No… not yet at least. Let's not ruin our day," she replied, smiling. "Let's… go do something else!" Chihiro replied with forced enthusiasm.

Haku sighed, still worried for her, but decided to let the matter rest for the mean time. He just had this feeling it was linked to the lunch incident somehow… But whatever it was, he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

**(1) I like Italian restaurants. They're cute :D**

**(2) My mom used to say that biting your tongue would help stop you laughing. And it does, to some extent at least…**

**(3) Obviously a made up movie…**

**A.N. Ah, I realised that I haven't like updated for more than a MONTH. I'm soooo soooo sorry... but you'll still review right? weak laugh blame it on school, darn it!!**


	5. Chapter 4

A.N. All characters belong to Miyazaki.

* * *

They cruised silently down the road, Chihiro looking out of the window, trying to avoid the worried glances Haku would shoot her occasionally. She was fine, really. She turned to her right to look at him, smiling slightly. "I'm really, REALLY fine, Haku. It's nice of you to worry, but there is really nothing to worry about." The brunette smiled wider to prove her point.

Haku sighed, as they stopped at a red light. He placed his hand on Chihiro's much to her surprise, making her blush hard again. "I know, but I can't help worrying."

"Let's not ruin another day…" Chihiro managed to say. Haku squeezed her hand tightly before removing it rather reluctantly. Putting it back onto the steering wheel, he turned back to face the road. "Okay then. So I think it's my turn to decide on the destination…?"

"That'll be nice," Chihiro smiled.

Pressing down harder on the accelerator, Haku turned a fast corner, causing Chihiro's seatbelt to tighten against the resulting centrifugal force. Chihiro giggled as Haku turned in the opposite direction at yet another corner at another traffic junction. Haku smiled; well at least she's smiling genuinely now. He pondered slightly on where to bring Chihiro for a second before finally settling for one destination, turning right sharply.

"Can you tell me where we're going?"

"No, that would spoil the surprise!" Haku smiled (almost) evilly before braking suddenly at the roadside.

"Here already?" Chihiro asked, surprised.

"Well, not exactly, just picking something up first." Haku said. "Are you comfortable with staying in the car?"

Putting on an exasperated expression, Chihiro sighed dramatically. "I guess I have no choice, do I, Mr. Secretive?" she said, cracking a small grin.

"I won't be long," Haku replied, as he exited the car after putting on the hazard lights.

Sure enough, Chihiro needn't have to wait for more than a minute before Haku returned, placing something in the boot before settling back into the driver's seat. Smiling at Chihiro, he asked, "So, how fast do you want to go?"

"How about… anything above a hundred and twenty kilometres?" Chihiro smirked.

"You said it," Haku replied, and floored the accelerator. Chihiro shrieked with delight when Haku lowered the roof, causing her hair to whip backwards in the wind. Flashes of the urban scenery flashed by, their silhouettes barely discernable. Slowly, however, it was evident that they were leaving the hustle of the city, leaving the traffic lights and irresponsible pedestrians, leaving all the air, noise, and light pollution behind.

Tall woody trees took the places of high rise apartments and huge industrial plants belching nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxides into the air. Hiils no longer had humps planted at the bottom and top of each slope, allowing Haku speed up instead of slow down, causing Chihiro to squeal as her heart jumped into her throat.

The still, crisp and clean air was cooling and toyed with Chihiro's windswept locks. Even Haku's immaculate hair was ruffled slightly by the playful breeze. Chihiro watched in amazement as they passed a large, clear ocean. The scenery was breathtaking; the sun casting languorous rays over the horizon, painting the surface of the sea a brilliant orange. The crimson sky and pink clouds stiked a nice contrast with the darkness of the woods Haku entered, following a small dirt path. Chihiro sighed in disappointment as they entered the woods, only able to catch glimpses of the ocean through gaps in the relatively dense gaps in the foliage.

Finally, after about half an hour, they reached their destination. It was a rather cozy looking cottage, lights already on. Haku slowed at the entrance, before coming to a smooth halt. Exiting the vehicle, he helped Chihiro out from the passenger's seat, before going back to the boot to retrieve what he'd collected from the shop from earlier.

Beckoning to Chihiro, he unlocked the smooth wooden door swiftly, and gestured for her to go in. The interior of the cottage was much more spacious than its deceptive appearance from the outside. Although it wasn't elaborately decorated like his penthouse in the city, Chihiro preferred its homely look and feel.

Sinking into a comfortable dark green sofa, she smiled as Haku set down the plastic bag he'd been holding on onto a table. "Where are we exactly?"

"In my other house," Haku replied matter-of-factly. Sitting down on the other side of the sofa, he continued, "If you don't mind, you'll be staying here for the remaining days."

"Don't mind? I'd love it very much!" Chihiro said in disbelief. "It's beautiful! But, all my stuff are still over at the hotel…"

"It's fine," Haku said dismissively. "I've already called Kamaji earlier to send it over."

"You plan ahead, don't you?" Chihio smiled, lolling over to Haku's side of the sofa to poke him in the ribs.

"I try," he said, as he poked her back, making her squirm away. "Anyway, come with me. I want to show you something." Standing up, he offered her a hand, pulling her up from the sofa. He stopped by the table and took out a box from the plastic bag before exiting the room, going up a winding staircase.

"How come there's a staircase here?" Chihiro asked. "I thought it was a single storey cottage."

"It is. This staircase leads to… somewhere." Haku replied vaguely. "You'll see."

They reached a small door at the end of the stairs, which Haku pushed open. Chihiro gasped as she took in the stunning view. The were on a small platform on the back of the roof, which explained why Chihiro didn't see it at first.

From their perch, they could see over the trees to the ocean. The moon now took its place in the starlit sky, casting a silvery glow on the earth. Because of the lack of light pollution, there was much more stars visible in the sky, each twinkling thousands of miles away.

Haku smiled at Chihiro's unconcealed awe. Settling himself down on the cement floor, he opened the box, revealing two rows of rice balls. He offered one to Chihiro when she came to sit next to him, who smiled in thanks.

"How'd you know I liked rice balls?"

"You ate a lot of rice balls when we were at the restaurant."

Chihiro blushed and decided to stay silent for the time being.

They ate in relative silence until Chihiro spoke up.

"I didn't think that you'd have such a nice house, Haku."

"Really? Why?"

"I thought that since you all have so much money, you would have those really posh houses."

"And you don't like them?" Haku asked, thinking about his penthouse. He decided to leave it out of the picture temporarily.

"Well, they're _nice_ and all, but they don't really seem real. I mean, it's just like a picture, and just too perfect. It… just doesn't feel like a home. You get it?"

"Yeah, I understand. That's why I have this house." Haku replied pensively. "I used to some here many times as a child with my father before he passed on," he continued in a softer tone. "We would just sit here and enjoy the scenery. We never really said anything, but it was the unspoken conversations that I treasured the most. It sort of became a really special place for the both of us. Then after he died… whenever I come here, I still can feel his presence. It's as if it was just like old times."

He paused and looked up at Chihiro before continuing. "I never shared this place with other people before… you're the first person to come up here besides my dad and me."

"Wow… I feel really honoured." Chihiro blushed.

She lapsed into a comfortable silence, as she leaned onto Haku in the silvery moonlight, feeling perfectly content. Haku glanced down at her, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders, forming the perfect picture. From his peephole from the staircase, Kamaji sighed happily. Perhaps his young charge had finally found love.

* * *

**A.N. Nyah, I know it's been a long wait and this hardly makes up for it... but I had exams and all. But still, you'll forgive me right? Please review! Because the more reviews I get, the more eager I am to update :D**


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